Air cleaner arrangements are used to filter air to remove contaminates such as grime, dirt, and/or other fine solids so that the cleaned air can be used for various applications, such as supplying intake air to an internal combustion engine for powering a vehicle or machine. Typically, an air cleaner arrangement includes a filter cartridge or filter element made of filter media that is semi-permeable to air flow allowing air to pass while removing the contaminates. Examples of filter media may include layers of pleated paper that can be formed into a self-supporting geometric shape. The filter media can be received and accommodated inside a complementary-shaped housing disposed in the intake system of the machine. The housing guides or directs the intake air to the filter element where the air if forced to pass across the filter media that removes dirt and contaminates before the cleaned air exits the housing. To ensure that intake air passes through the filter media, seal arrangements can be included on the filter element to press against corresponding surfaces of the housing and seal any leak paths between the element and housing.
A traditional design for an air cleaner arrangement is to accommodate a cylindrical and hollow filter element inside a correspondingly cylindrical shaped housing. Dirty fluid such as air is directed by the housing around the cylindrical exterior of the filter element, passes through the filter media to the interior of the hollow filter element, and the cleaned air can exit the filter element and housing. Another possible design is a reverse flow filter element in which dirty fluid is directed to the interior first, passes across the filter media so that clean air emerges from the cylindrical exterior of the filter element.
Over time, dirt and other contaminates will collect on the filter media clogging the filter element and resisting or preventing intake air from passing through the air cleaner arrangement. In addition to starving the associated application or process of clean intake air, a clogged filter might also suffer a catastrophic failure in which the filter element tears or is otherwise breached allowing contaminates and dirt to pass downstream of the air cleaner where they can damage the application such as an internal combustion engine or other machinery. Accordingly, it is sometimes necessary to periodically replace the filter elements with a fresh element or to remove and clean the filter element. Accordingly, filter elements may sometimes be considered disposable or consumable items or goods. However, it is also desirable to utilize the full capacity of the filter media to remove dirt and debris and prolong the life of the filter element before the element is replaced so that the value of the filter element is maximized. The present disclosure is directed to improving the usefulness and perceived value of a filter element in an air cleaner arrangement.